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Session #2 FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - LOVE

Download 'Super Fruit Series Session #2

This week’s destination: FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - LOVE
This is the first and greatest commandment but to keep it we must first appreciate the immeasurable love God has for us.
1. God’s immeasurable love
2. Love in action
3. Words without love.
4. Looking on the inside.

MATERIALS:
Photocopy the ‘Jesus Loves Me’ hearts enough for every child. Photocopy the Bible Verse Card and ‘Jesus Loves Me’ flier, photocopy picture of African family, crayons. 2 posters or black board, 2 marking pens or chalk. A tape measure, a watch, a measuring cup. Large metal pot lids, Mango, Super fruit handout, Take Home Truth and Activity Booklet one for each child

AS KIDS ARRIVE PRIOR TO THE LESSON
Get 3 children to colour the Bible Card, African picture and ‘Jesus Loves Me’ flier prior to the lesson.

Continue to occasionally water your Moringa. in the dry season. It will not be long before you can start to harvest the green leaves to dry in preparation for making healthy, healing tea.

2. TEAM GAMES: (10 minutes)
LOVE RACE: Divide the children into teams and each team will have a poster to run to, one team player at a time. When it is their turn, they will run to the poster and write the word LOVE with a marker. Continue running back and forth until time is up. The team that writes the word LOVE on their poster the most times will be the winner!

5. TEACHING
a. “Back Track” Review
Last week we learnt a tree is recognized by its fruit. You cannot live life without God and produce good fruit. You cannot be the “good” person that God desires on your own. You need the power of the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you.

If we connect to Jesus, we will produce beautiful leaves and delicious fruit. But if we are separated from Jesus, our leaves will wither and die.\

c. Teach the Lesson (15 minutes)

DOWNLOAD Yoruba Super Fruits Lesson #2 Visual Aids

God’s love is immeasurable
Object Lessons: Bring out some instruments that are used for measuring different things in life: a tape measure for length, width, and height, a watch to measure time, and a measuring cup for baking and cooking. Ultimately, in numerous parts of the Bible, it’s taught that God’s love is higher than the heavens (and wider/longer), that God’s love overflows for you (this is where you can use the measuring cup), and that God’s love will last eternally.

Imagine if Jesus, just before going to the cross, went to the garden and thought; I hate this feeling, I don’t feel like doing this, therefore I will base my decision upon what I feel. If that had happened, we’d all be hopelessly doomed to hell. The good news of course is that Jesus resisted and fought back His feelings and even though He prayed three times to have the cup removed, He was more interested in doing the will of the Father than what He felt like doing…thankfully. Jesus displayed His love by willingly going to the cross and dying for us. Love is not dependent upon feelings and emotions because feelings are one of the shallowest and most unreliable of all human emotions. Instead we must emphasize that love is a choice more than a feeling.

Love is a choice one has to make, not so much a feeling we choose to have. Is there any greater love than one that was displayed on the cross? Jesus said that “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13). The opposite of love is not hatred because in hatred there are at least some emotions but the opposite of love is indifference, not caring. We can show love to one another by putting others first and thinking of them more than ourselves, loving them like Christ loves us. After we learn His love for us and our love for Him can overflow into the people around us.

Words without Love.
Object lesson: (Start crashing your pot lids together.) “Did you like this music I’m playing on the cymbals?” “No? Hmmm. I don’t blame you. It’s a terrible sound isn’t it? It makes you cringe.” Paul explains that words without love are like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal, just like these cymbals!
(Clang together two large metal pot lids)
He means that when we do a lot of talking without love we are really making just a terrible noise that no one wants to listen to. For example, if I say “Get out of the way, you are annoying me.” It sounds like (Bash your cymbals.) No one wants to listen to that. However, when I’m acting in love my words will be a lot easier to listen. (Play or get someone to sing a nice song)

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a.

Have the children raise their hands every time they hear a description of love.

Looking on the inside. Object Lessons: Optional: Download 'Framed picture of an African family' Visual aid What am I holding in my hand? (Allow time for response.) Yes, this is a picture of an African family. I do not even know their names. I purchased the frame with the picture inside. What can you tell me by looking at the picture? (Such as color of skin, hair, eyes, clothing).

But do you know the child's name? Do you know where he lives? If he has a brother or sister? Do you think he goes to school? We can guess, but we know very little about this child. Really the picture tells us very little. But there is someone who knows all about you.. Can someone tell me who that is? (Pause) Yes, that person is Jesus. God knows all about us. We may only see what is on the outside what others see. But God sees what is on the inside. He knows what we are thinking. He knows the thoughts in our heart. And Jesus loves you -- and He loves me that is how we can love others.

6. APPLICATION / ENCOUNTERING GOD
Invite the children to bring their little heart to the altar to lay them at the foot of Jesus and thank Him for His immeasurable love. Let them talk about a time when they really felt loved. Pray and ask Him to help us to love as he has commanded us, love in action, helping us to speak kind, loving words, always looking at the inside instead of on the outside judging people.

CLOSING PRAYER Let children stand in a heart shape, holding hands and pray Heavenly Father, help us to love you with all of our heart and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. Thank you for always loving us and allowing us to share that love with everyone we meet. Help us always to walk in your love so that our words will a beautiful sound and an encouragement to others. Amen.

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A DROP OF HOPE

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